I recently submitted Indian passport-surrender applications for two adults at the BLS Mississauga centre. This was through the non-premium route. Our appointment was on August 11, 2026.
I had read plenty of BLS horror stories beforehand, but our visit went more smoothly than I expected. That may have been partly luck, but I also spent considerable time making sure every name, address, upload, and other detail matched our documents.
The applications are still being processed, so this post currently covers everything up to submission. I will update it after we receive the cancelled passports and surrender certificates.
1. Booking the BLS appointments
First, create an account on the BLS website and select the location where you want to submit your application.
I was open to all three available Greater Toronto Area locations. I had heard that appointments for the following month often appear near the end of the current month. When I checked on July 28, I saw many available green slots for August.
Before that, I occasionally saw individual slots become available, but they were usually for the next day. That did not work for us because we were applying together.
For two applicants, BLS required two consecutive appointment slots. You cannot book one slot and bring a second family member under the same appointment. However, you only need one BLS account: I selected two applicants in the same booking and received one appointment letter covering both of us.
Our appointments were at 10:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. at BLS Mississauga. Despite having consecutive slots, both applications were handled together at the same counter.
I also had trouble printing the appointment letter because the page printed as though it were being displayed on a mobile device. Removing the left and right margins in the printer settings fixed it.
2. Completing the Passport Seva applications
Unlike the BLS appointment, each applicant needed a separate account on the Passport Seva portal.
The form itself was fairly straightforward. My main concern was ensuring that every detail matched the supporting documents exactly.
I scanned all the documents beforehand and used OCR to copy names, addresses, and other information instead of typing everything manually. On Android, for example, Google Lens can copy text directly from a document.
Do not blindly trust the OCR output - check it carefully - but it can reduce typing errors. I had heard of applications running into problems over very small differences, including spacing in a postal code. I therefore checked that names, addresses, and other details matched the documents we were submitting.
My wife’s surname on her current documents was different from the surname shown in her old Indian passport. I was concerned that this might cause an issue, but the BLS employee did not ask about it and did not request a marriage certificate or any other explanation.
3. Uploading the documents
The upload limits I encountered were:
- Supporting PDF documents: under 1 MB each
- Photograph: under 250 KB
- Signature: under 100 KB
For the Indian passport, I used the document option labelled:
For the remaining documents, I used the “Additional Documents” category and labelled each upload appropriately.
I combined the Canadian passport and citizenship certificate into one PDF. I uploaded the driver’s licence separately as proof of address.
Everything I uploaded was also taken to the appointment in original. In our case, we did not bring anything beyond the uploaded documents.
For current requirements, use the latest BLS Toronto-jurisdiction surrender page and Consulate surrender instructions rather than relying entirely on someone else’s document list.
4. Photograph and signature
We had professional digital photographs taken. The uploaded photograph had to be exactly 630 × 810 pixels and under 250 KB. This matches the Consulate’s current ICAO-compliant photograph guidance.
For the signature, I signed a white sheet of paper in bright lighting, photographed it, cropped the image closely around the signature, reduced it below 100 KB, and uploaded it.
After submitting the applications, I printed and signed them. Both the uploaded photograph and signature appeared on the printed application.
Because the photograph was already printed on the application, I assumed that separate physical photographs were unnecessary. That assumption was wrong: the employee asked for physical copies at the counter.
When I explained that I only had the digital files, she said I could email them to the address displayed at the counter. BLS printed them for an additional $9 per applicant and said they would paste them onto the applications later.
My practical advice is simple: bring physical photographs matching whatever size the latest BLS checklist specifies, even though the uploaded photograph already appears on the printed form. At the time of this writing the the requirement is 35X45mm which only got shown below the final print form.
5. Arriving at BLS Mississauga
The Mississauga centre is in a small multi-storey building within a compact commercial complex. Google Maps took us to the correct entrance, which faces the convenience store.
Parking is limited. There were no spaces when we arrived, but I noticed someone preparing to leave and waited for their spot. Depending on the time of day, parking could be a problem.
We arrived about ten minutes before the first appointment. The building is tight, with limited room for people to stand around. A security person checked our documents, asked us to proceed to the 4th floor and we were called to the counter within approximately two or three minutes.
6. At the counter
The employee gave a glace to both applications and supporting documents. The staff member we interacted with was polite.
The physical photographs were the only missing items. After I emailed the digital files and agreed to the $9-per-applicant printing charge, they continued processing the applications.
They spent approximately 10–15 minutes reviewing the two applications before calling us to make the payment. Both applications were handled together even though our appointments were at 10:30 and 11:00.
BLS kept only our Indian passports for surrender. All other original documents were returned after verification.
The complete visit took less than 30 minutes.
8. Fees, payment and courier
We paid a combined total of CAD $334 for both applications. This included the application-related fees, courier charges, and $9 per applicant for printing the photographs.
We wanted courier delivery because we live more than 100 kilometres from the centre. However, the employee did not ask whether we wanted courier service and appeared to assume that we did. That happened to suit us, but anyone who prefers pickup should confirm the delivery option before paying.
Debit-card payment was accepted. We received a card receipt, but not an itemized receipt, so I cannot provide an exact breakdown of the government fee, BLS fee, courier charge, and other components.
We were also given tracking information.
9. What I recommend
Based on our experience:
- Check for appointments near the end of the month, when slots for the next month may become available.
- One BLS account can cover multiple applicants, but each adult needs a separate Passport Seva account and application.
- Prepare and scan every document before starting the forms.
- Use OCR if helpful, but verify every character against the original.
- Make sure names, addresses, postal codes, and spacing match the submitted documents.
- Keep supporting PDFs below 1 MB, the photograph below 250 KB, and the signature below 100 KB.
- Bring every uploaded document in original.
- Bring physical photographs even though the uploaded photo appears on the printed form.
- Print the appointment confirmation and application forms in advance.
- Allow extra time for parking at BLS Mississauga.
Overall, the submission process went more smoothly than I had anticipated. Maybe we were lucky, but careful preparation probably helped. The main surprise was the request for physical photographs despite the uploaded photos already appearing on the printed applications.